Q. Is a power supply needed in the apiary?
A. No, the units are battery powered.

Q. What batteries are required?
A. The units use standard 4 x D Cell 1.5v batteries. The equipment is supplied with batteries installed.

Q. How long is battery life?
A. Battery life is 3-6 months depending on frequency of data reporting. However a solar charging option is available which will provide constant power supply.

Q. Will the system work with any type of hive?
A. Yes, the hive monitors and scale can be fitted to National, Langstroth, Dadant , WBC and other hive designs. They also work with wooden, plastic and polystyrene hives.

Q. Where is the Gateway positioned?
A. The Gateway can be placed up to 30 metres away from the hives but we would recommend within 10-15 metres as optimal as this conserves battery life when communicating between units.

Q. Are the monitors affected by pylons or radio masts?
A. These have no effect as our monitors operate on a different frequency.

Q. Do I need to have WiFi coverage in the apiary?
A. No, the Gateway has its own transmission capability. It uses the standard 2G or 3G mobile network (GPRS).

Q. Will I need mobile phone coverage at the apiary?
A. Yes, you will need 2G or 3G network coverage at the apiary. In areas of weak coverage it is possible to add an antenna to the Gateway to boost the signal. However if you have no network coverage we do have a Satellite Gateway which will work anywhere, even in the most remote parts of the world.

Q. Which operating system does the system use?
A. The system is independent of operating system/hardware. It works in any web browser on any internet enabled device. No special software is required. It can be used with a PC or Mac Computer, iPhone or Android phone, iPad or tablet.

Q. What maintenance is required?
A. The units are very low maintenance. The batteries will need changing every 3 -6 months.

If you have any questions please contact us to receive a full data sheet and specification.

arnia hive monitors

Can you imagine being able to assess the state of your bee hives using your iphone or laptop from the comfort of the kitchen table while eating your toast in the morning? Or from the other side of the world? Or being able to check that the queen is still OK following an inspection without having to make a return trip to the hives? Sounds incredible?